WELCOME TAYLOR MARIE LEAR !!!!!!!!!!

We just received WONDERFUL news!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

George's brother, Jeff and his wife, Amber welcomed a baby girl into the world this morning. Her name is Taylor Marie and she weighs 8lbs.6oz and is 20 3/4 inches long.

We have not heard much more than that, but we are very excited. She has a big brother, Zachary, that is meeting her now.

Zachary and Taylor are about 17 months apart. Good luck guys!!!!!!

What a Happy Halloween for The Lears!!!!

This week will be a PINK week!!!!!!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will be posting pics of my little Thomas the Tank Engine soon:)


THIS BLOGGER SITE WAS GIVING ME TROUBLE YESTERDAY SO THIS MORNING I AM UPLOADING PHOTOS I GOT OF MAYA GRACE YESTERDAY!

Along with the pictures, we received a report on little Maya. She goes to bed at 9:00 p.m. and sleeps the whole night until 6:00 a.m. She takes a morning nap from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. During the afternoons she takes short cat naps. The rest of the day she stays awake. She sleeps on her back. She sleeps without the light.


She is drinking her bottle without problems and is starting to eat more exciting foods. She likes eggs, fruit, veggies, juice, bread and get this..BLACK BEANS!!!! Just like big brother!!!!!

Her last doctor's appt was in late September. She weighed 14.12 pounds and measured 25.2 inches long.
According to Debbie, her foster mother, she has started to crawl. So looks like she will be into everything!

We did not send this outfit down, but she does look like a little model, huh? And she knows we like cats.
Yes, her shoes are dirty, but she will be getting LOTS of new, clean ones when she comes home!!!

These pictures are from a few days ago so this is who you will all be meeting really soon!

WE WERE SUBMITTED FOR PINK TODAY...FOR REAL! AND WE GOT NEW PICTURES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Believe it or not, the good news is rolling on in!

1. We were submitted for "PINK" this morning. That means that by Thursday night or Friday morning we SHOULD be making plane reservations to bring our daughter home FOREVER!!!!!! AND EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


2. We got new pictures of Maya today!!!!!!!!


I know I am prejudice, but I have to say that she is the most beautiful baby girl in Guatemala right now. It is funny because when you are adopting you do not know what you will get, but look what we got!


I mean this adoption wait has been HELL, but when I look at her, I know it is completely worth it.

George and I are so PSYCHED for our family and friends and neighbors and co-workers and well, even strangers to meet her!

Maya made the Guatemala Adoption Calendar!!!

Well, Maya is a star. Can you find her in February???
www.guatadopt.com has adoptive families submit pictures for the calendar and guess who is the cutest baby???

MAYITA IS!!!!!



Who is the other cutest baby??? Check out Gia. She is in the lower right hand corner. That is when she was a baby baby!

THE JOURNEY TO PINK IS NOT EASY EITHER

WELL, GUESS WHAT? THAT IS RIGHT...WE DO NOT HAVE PINK YET! IN FACT WE WERE NOT EVEN SUBMITTED YET.

I WAS AT THE GROCERY STORE AND OUR COORDINATOR CALLED AND SPOKE WITH GEORGE. SHE TOLD HIM THAT THE EMBASSY IS GIVING OUT NUMBERS. OUR AGENCY HAS AN ATTORNEY THAT HAS A RUNNING MAN WHO GOES TO THE EMBASSY AND PULLS A NUMBER. THE MAN GOES SUPPOSEDLY AT 3-4AM AND PULLS A NUMBER, YET BY THE END OF THE DAY, HIS NUMBER IS NOT CALLED. WE ARE TOLD THAT HE IS BEING HIRED TO SLEEP AT THE EMBASSY SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING IN ORDER FOR US TO BE SUBMITTED FOR PINK. IF INDEED THIS HAPPENS, WE WOULD HAVE PINK BY THE END OF NEXT WEEK AND MOST LIKELY BRING MAYA SOMEWHERE BETWEEN NOVEMBER 9TH-16TH.
ONCE AGAIN WE HAVE BEEN MORE THAN PATIENT.
IT SEEMS TO BE THAT WE HAVE TO GET TO BREAKING POINT BEFORE THINGS CAN GO OUR WAY.
I KNOW GOD THINKS THAT WE ARE STRONG, BUT WE WOULD APPRECIATE IF HE WOULD NOT TRUST US SO MUCH.

WE WANT A BREAK.

WE WANT HER HOME.

SHE HAS SO MUCH LOVE TO COME HOME TO.

KEEP PRAYING....OUR SUPPORTERS WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN. THE ALMOST DAILY EMAILS, COMMENTS AND PHONE CALLS HAVE HELPED US SO MUCH!!!!

ON THE UPSIDE, I AM TAKING THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE(aka Bryan Barrettt Lear) TO A HALLOWEEN PARTY THIS AFTERNOON.

We are hoping that our sister-in-law, Amber goes into labor like...TODAY... so that we could go see the baby this weekend. George's Dad is sick in the hospital so we may go down soon, anyhow. The poor man could have his own blog on his medical history. Currently he has a lung infection but it is more complicated than that. We hope he stays strong mentally. His mind over matter gets him discharged time and time again! He will have two new grandchildren to meet in November.

Tuesday we have numerous Halloween festivities to choose from. Bryan went door to door last year and it was cute, but this year he really knows so much about Halloween. His imagination is so awesome.

I will update, hopefully..soon!

NO PINK...WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS CORRECT!!!

Really, we are so confused. I thought we were finally getting a break. We totally thought we would be in Guatemala next week!
Here is the new email I got from our coordinator:

Hi Kerry – I spoke to your attorney this afternoon. They have gotten the birth certificate and have turned it in to the translator. They hope to have it back tomorrow and be ready to put the file in the Embassy this Thursday to wait for the Pink Slip. Next Wednesday is a holiday in Guatemala – All Saints Day. If the file gets turned in to the Embassy this Thursday the pink slip should be issued next Tuesday. I’ll check in again with the attorney on Thursday to see if they got the file in to the Embassy. Thanks, Susanna

So, if you are following this blog, you too will be confused! I just emailed her asking which email is correct, or has it just been being translated this whole time????

Part of me, feels like"whatever" because she will be home in November no matter what! Then another part of me is so aggravated at this misleading, confusing information!

I will update again when I get some answers. This is just nuts. We have a conference call with our agency tomorrow night. Some crazy stuff has been going on in Guatemala and they will address that.

If anyone is interested, you can check out: www.guatadopt.com

On the bright side:
1.George and I will get to take our little Thomas the Tank Engine Trick-or-Treating on his 3rd Halloween!
2. We are almost certain that we will meet out new niece or nephew before we travel. George's brother, Jeff and his wife Amber are expected their second child and she will most likely go this week. If not, they will induce her...but she is 3cm and they think she will go...come on water....BREAK!

More happy news:
I had a busy day yesterday. I babysat Cheryl's son Logan yesterday morning while she went shopping. She returned the favor yesterday afternoon, so that Cathy, Aidan and I could go shopping. It was more about having a day out with an old friend. Her son is an awesome shopper. He hardly let out a cry. He loves shopping.

I had dinner with Cathy and Cheryl (2 major cheerleaders in Maya's adoption!!!!)lastnight and they bought Maya some goodies!!! They also had a few balloons and a yummy DARK CHOCOLATE cake...mmmmmmmmm! Thank you guys!!!!

Monday... Come on Pink!

No real news to report, but here are a few photos. I want to go watch "What about Brian"! I will update the blog when we get pink, if not before!!

Bryan and Logan at Shoprite about a month ago....so cute!!!!(They are two, so it only lasted the produce isle!)

My little HAM

Modeling for IZOD

Maya's boyfriend, Aidan at his Baptism last week...look at that face!

We think we were submitted for PINK today!

Today we found out that we are more ahead of the game then we thought!
Below is an email we received today:

Kerry,
I finally met up with Susanna regarding your case. Her attorney told her that the final documents were being translated the 16th (Monday) and would be re-entering the embassy today (Thursday). You should be issued a pink slip sometime early next week. Keep in mind that Friday is a holiday in Guatemala.
Thanks, and have a great day!

Our coordinator has been visiting Guatemala this week, so the above email came from her assistant.

It sounds to us like the birthmother signed(or the Power of Attorney took effect), and the birth certificate was taken care of.

Maybe we will get more answers tomorrow.

I worked today and stopped at The Children's Place Outlet before picking up Bryan...so I am tired!

I will be updating!!!!!!!!!!!

Keep praying, we are so close to PINK now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WE HAVE BEEN OUT OF PGN 1 WEEK!!!

WELL, FINALLY...FINALLY, A WEEK FLEW BY!!!!

Those past 12 weeks were killers, but knowing we are out and our daughter is coming home soon is a totally different feeling. I have been feeling much better about everything!!!
No news yet on the birth certificate, but I will post whenever we get any word.
Our coordinator is in Guatemala this week until tomorrow. I am trying to get in touch with her assistant but still no word. We keep praying it is soon. They told us 3-4 weeks, meaning anywhere from the last week in October until the 1st week in November. It is quite possible that we will miss Halloween, but with our timeline, we figure it will be at the 4th week, not the 3rd. We do not care as long as she is coming home, and she is!!!!!! If we do not miss Halloween, we may miss Logan's third birthday! Logan is one of Bryan's very best friends. He was born 3 months before Bryan and they are like brothers. He lives 2 doors down. Logan's Mommy usually has a small family party that we crash. It is a tradition! Bryan could still crash it without us, however!


I am keeping busy. I worked twice last week and am working twice this week. I am a nurse and I work on a really wacky unit! Who knows what I will do after Maya comes home. I have so much time to make up for with her. We have to bond and Bryan has to get used to the idea that he is not the only big cheese in the house!
I will post when we hear something, if not, before.
Until then, here is a picture of Maya Grace about an hour after we picked her up for our last visit. We hope she is just as happy to see us this time!!!

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS NOW...

Now that we finally have PGN APPROVAL, our attorney needs to make the final adoption decree. This decree has to be signed by the birthmother, or the birthmother's power of attorney(POA). Maya's birth mother had signed over POA awhile back, so this part should move quickly for us. Once this is issued, Maya is legally ours:)

Next, a new birth certificate is issued with our last name (LEAR!!!)

Our attorney then takes Maya's new birth certificate and applies for a Guatemalan passport.

All documents are translated from Spanish to English.

A passport is issued to Maya. She will get her photo taken for the VISA.

The attorney takes all the paperwork to the Embassy and requests approval for an orphan visa to the USA.

The embassy authorizes the VISA, commonly known as "THE PINK SLIP". This pink slip will have our VISA appointment date on it.

Then....we book tickets, get on a plane and go get our daughter!

SCREAM AND SHOUT WE ARE OUT-OUT-OUT!

On PGN day #85, on our 12th week of being in PGN, at 6:26pm we found out that we are OUT of PGN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOO-HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MAYA, MOMMY AND DADDY ARE COMING TO GUATEMALA TO BRING YOU HOME SOON!!!

OUR ADOPTION COORDINATOR COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT I WAS NOT SCREAMING OR CRYING! I WAS AND STILL AM IN SHOCK!!!!!

More news to come...next up is to get Maya's new birth certificate which will have her last name changed to LEAR!!!! He-he-ha-ha!!! YEA! We are so excited, Bryan is even singing..."Baby sister coming home, baby sister coming home"

She should be in her quite pink room in 3-4 weeks!!! YEA-YEA-YEA!!!!

WE ARE IN PGN EXACTLY 12 WEEKS TODAY WHICH EQUALS 85 DAYS

WELL NOTHING IS NEW.
MAYA SHOULD BE OUT OF PGN BY NOW.

I EMAILED MY AGENCY FRIDAY AND I HAVE NOT HEARD BACK YET FROM THEM. I AM AFRAID SOMETHING IS WRONG. THAT IS MY GUT FEELING. I(AND GEORGE) HOPE THAT MY GUT IS REALLY WRONG!

AS USUAL I HOPE TO BE POSTING GOOD NEWS SOON.
THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT. KEEP PRAYING!!!!!

Our 12th Week in PGN....Please, Lord, let a miracle happen today?

These are the other pictures that I could not post yesterday. The ones in Bryan's Manning jersey are from yesterday. He was cracking up at himself blowing bubbles so I got the camera out. Bryan and Daddy had their jerseys on yesterday and are sure that had something to do with the GIANTS big win!







He loves animals and we are so happy about that! Sometimes he loves them too much, but we are working on that.

BAAAH..

This pic is out of order, but Bryan prefers driving the LOWE'S cart over Shoprite's cart

He is such a little man...so cute

Which one is the REAL CLIFFORD??

Nice piggy...Bryan wanted to wake the pig

Bryan petting 2 donkeys

Mommy, Bryan and Daddy on a hayride. We had a beautiful day which helped us through the weekend:)

TOO MANY DAYS IN PGN AND THIS SITE IS NOT LETTING ME UPLOAD ALL THE PHOTOS I WANT!

Well, no...we did not get the call. We have no good news on that subject. We are determined to either have good news this week or we will try and find out what the heck is going on this week.

On a lighter side, here is something funny that happens after 8 years of marriage..Tonight I asked George:

Hon, I do not remember if I poured myself a glass of water

George's reply: It is in your diaper bag

After discussing what I really asked, he argued that my question sounded like where is my cellphone?

Uh...okay!

As, always, we are blessed to have our 2 year old "PUMPKIN". We took Bryan to the Pumpkin Patch yesterday and he was so good. It is so nice to see things through their eyes.

We have some great pics, but this site is giving me problems, so I will try and post the others later tonight or more likely tomorrow.

We only planned to get one big pumpkin, but Bryan was determined to have one that was not "too heavy"

That one was "too heavy"

Outside the corn maze

We found a green M & M inside the hay maze...this one is for you, Aunt Amber...

Bryan was the youngest one who entered the hoola-hoop contest...I still cannot do that!

He loved throwing the hay

Bryan actually gave Sponge Bob a high five, but my camera was not out!

Rodeo Man

This was from Thursday. Bryan is pictured here with Aidan. Aidan is a little younger than Maya but they cannot wait too play with each other!

TODAY IS DAY PGN # 80! PLEASE DO NOT LET US SPEND ANOTHER WEEKEND IN PGN!!!!

Hello everyone. As you can see, I do not always update. I just keep thinking today will be the day and then it is 6pm and we slowly start to move on to the next day. The next day comes, and again, the same thing..

Well today is day #80 and we have had it.

All we can ask is for your continued support and prayers.

We thank God again for our "terrible two year old". Bryan keeps my mind going. Without him, we might not have the strength to get through this. Sometimes I wish I was his age. His biggest worry is knowing where his train ,Edward, is at all times.

If only we could remember that time in our lives..

I hope to post soon with good news.

THIS HAS TO BE THE WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!